Chris Knight
The Jealous Kind

Ben Atkins
Mabelle

It would be difficult to understate the influence that Steve Earle has had on
modern country and roots-oriented rock music. The record stores are full of
discs by artists trying to emulate his sound as well as his lyrical abilities,
and although some do it well, most miss the mark. Two young country musicians
who do a fine job with the Earle sound are Chris Knight and Ben Atkins. Both
have recently released winning mainstream country albums that would make Earle
proud.

Chris Knight is an outstanding contemporary country storyteller from Kentucky
whose album The Jealous Kind is chock full of tales from rural American life.
Carla Came Home is a foreboding ballad about a family’s vendetta after sis is
beaten by her new husband. Broken Plow features stripped-down instrumentation
accompanying the story of an Okie family moving to California after the loss of
the family farm, and ten years ago, a great song like this would have earned
Knight a spot on the Farm Aid circuit. The characters in his compositions look
back on their hell-raising days with the benefit of hindsight, a touch of
regret, and a glimmer of pride, and these mixed emotions are best displayed on
Hello Old Man and Devil behind the Wheel. Former Georgia Satellites frontman Dan
Baird helped to shape the album — both by producing it as well as by adding his
own signature guitar style to its tracks.

Alabama native Ben Atkins is another Steve Earle sound-alike with an
enjoyable new disc titled Mabelle, which features a more lavish production style
than Knight utilized. I’m to Blame draws in the listener with a mournful country
yodel surrounded by the weepy pedal steel of Lloyd Maines. While Knight holds a
darker view of country life on The Jealous Kind, Atkins tends to romanticize
rural route living on his own wistful tunes Another Place and The Same.
Throughout Mabelle, the instrumentation is generally superb with the fast finger
mandolin on Milo Johnson serving as a highlight courtesy of producer Kym Warner
(Kasey Chambers). And just like Steve Earle, Atkins’ upbeat numbers are
considerably stronger than his ballads. Nevertheless, there’s not a song on this
disc worthy of an ounce of shame.